Sanitary pad holder with supporting shield



- 15, 6 P. GASTWIRTH SANITARY PAD HOLDER WITH SUPPORTING SHIELD,

Filed Jan. 8, 1964 United States Patent 3,335,721 SANITARY PAD HOLDER WITH SUPPORTING SHIELD Paul Gastwirth, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Monogram Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 336,546 8 Claims. (Cl. 128-171) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sanitary pad supporting devices and more particularly to a supporting device for such pads which may be used by both male and female patients and which is moisture-proof and relatively self-adjustable in fit.

Subsequent to many operative procedures in hospitals such as hemorrhoidectomies, hysterectomies, treatment of perirectal abscesses, and removal of pilonidal cysts, etc., it is necessary for the patient to employ disposal pads, wads of cotton, and in some instances washable diapers in the area of the operation in order to prevent flow of body fluids onto clothing, bedclothes, etc. Many and varied devices have been used to apply and to retain such pads in place against the body of the patient.

The present invention relates to a new type of sanitary pad holder having moisture-proof qualities which permits quick dressing changes without removal of the device from the wearer and which has an automatic adjustment for slight size variations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pad supporting shield which may be comfortably worn by either men or women and which is substantially selfadjusting.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a pad supporting shield which is worn about the waist of the wearer and which employs releasable fastener means of the fabric hook-and-loop type as described herein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical moisture-proof covering having minimum proportions to conform to the wearers anatomy and to have the pad supported thereby form-fit the wearer, the holder being sufficient to fasten the padding or bandage against the needed portions of the body, and in so doing to comfort and keep the patient clean, to eliminate rubber sheeting, to minimize the job of constantly changing bed clothes and to permit pads to be easily changed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a holder for sanitary pads and the like having a belt portion adapted to fit about the waist of the wearer and pad holding means depending therefrom within the area of a moisture-proof shield adapted to completely cover the outside of the pad.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for sanitary pads adapted to be worn by a male patient which does not have to be removed and presents no interference with urination.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a sanitary pad holder bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is at all times efiicient, sanitary, and safe in use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference maybe had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the pad holder according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial view of the front portion of the belt construction of FIGURE 1.

Reference is now made more specifically to the drawing, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views and wherein the sanitary pad supporting shield constituting the subject matter of this invention is designated generally at 10.

The supporting structure includesja waist encircling belt or band 12, preferably formed of a relatively wide elastic web. The free ends 13 and 14 of the belt are passed through ring or eye portions of a flat connector member 15 and are folded back on themselves and passed through conventional adjustment buckles 16. A connecting band 17 formed of the-same material as the belt is formed with bights 18 at each end thereof adapted to be engaged over the vertical hook portions 19 of the two flat connector members 15. These hook members are formed with small inwardly directed lips 20 to prevent accidental disengagement of the bights. Due to the resiliency of the waist band material it is basically self-adjusting, however the buckles 16 provide any other necessary adjustment in waist circumference.

A relatively thin elastic strap 21 is attached to and depends from the back of the waist band centrally thereof and is provided at its free end with a pad gripper 22 or clip of conventional construction. Also attached to the rear portion of the waist band and depending therefrom is the wide base portion of a basically triangular shaped moisture-proof protector or pad shield 23. The shield may be formed of any water-proof fabric or lamination and is preferably made of cotton or the like with an inner lining 24 and side binding 25 of bacteriostatic butyl treated to retard odors and the growth of bacteria and fungi. The wide end of the shield may be folded overthe waist band at the rear and stitched or otherwise fastened as shown at 26. The narrow end of the triangular shield is truncated and is provided with a pad gripper 22 at tached as by a short elastic or plain. material strap 27. The shield is so proportioned, that a sanitary pad or bandage held between the two grippers 22 will be completely protected.

Two parallel elastic front straps 28 and 29 are stitched to the truncated end of the shield and have a piece of Velcro pile material 30 attached thereto as described hereinafter which acts as one part of a two piece Velcro fastener. The second part of the fastener referred to is a piece of hook material 31 attached to the front face of the connecting band 17. The pile material 30 is composed of rather densely matted strand loops 32 of a suitable elastic synthetic resin fabric secured to a nylon backing tape 33. See FIGURE 2. The hook material 31 comprises a backing tape 34 having synthetic resin fiber loops which have been broken away to form flexible hooks 35 turned toward the backing tape 34, whereby to catch in the loops 32 of the pile material when the two components are pressed together in face to face relation to force the books into the pile. If desired, of course, the hook material may be attached to the straps 28, 29 and the pile material fixed to the connecting band 17. Reference is directed to US. Patent No. 2,717,437 granted Sept. 13, 1955 to De Mestral for a detailed disclosure of the Velcro fastener.

In use, the waist band 12 is initially adjusted to the patients waist dimension by means of the buckles 16. The proper pad or bandage is then attached to the grippers 22 and the entire front portion of the shield is brought up between the legs and drawn to the desired tightness of the pad against the body, whereupon the pile material 30 is pressed with slight pressure against the hook material 31. This action will cause the hook members 35 to enter the pile and the hooks will thus become engaged in or will grip the loops 32 of the pile and effect firm coupling together of the overlapped materials.

Release of the cooperating hook and pile members is effected by grasping the free end of the pile material 30 and pulling outwardly on the same from the hook material 31. This will cause the hook members and the pile loops to become disengaged from their locked condition. The transverse line of disengagement will progress lengthwise of the interlocked components so that they will separate smoothly and without jar or shock.

The use of the Velcro material for fastening the shield to the waist band provides a certain degree of adjustment, as the pile material portion may be placed centrally on the hook material portion or alternatively slightly upward or downward thereon as desired to effect adjustment. Due to the self-adhering property of the material, no exact alignment is necessary as with conventional snap fasteners or the like, and the connection may be made in the dark and by the patient himself Without assistance.

Due to the open construction of the front of the pad holder as effected by the use of the parallel straps 28, 29, the device may be used with comfort and convenience by male patients. When so used, the male organs are situated between the twostraps and are unencumbered.

The straps 28 and 29 also assure a comfortable, snug fit over the area engaged by the bandage and serve to eliminate waist band pulldown common with prior art devices.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the drawings and detailed disclosure are to be construed in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense since various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sanitary pad supporting device comprising an elastic waistband adapted to surround the waist of the wearer, means on the waistband to adjust the circumference thereof, a pad shield formed in the shape of a truncated triangle and having an inner and an outer lining, at least one of which is a moisture-proof lining, the base end of said pad shield being centered on and attached to the rear of the waistband, a pair of spaced elastic strap members attached at one end thereof to the narrow truncated edge of the pad shield, connecting means comprising a pair of coupling components of strip material secured to the free ends of said strap members and to the front of said waistband respectively and adapted to adhere to each other when placed in face-toface contact, and pad gripping means to releasably hold a sanitary pad on the lined side of said pad shield.

2. A sanitary pad supporting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the coupling components comprises a strip of material having a plurality of hook-like elements extending therefrom and the other of said components comprises a strip of material having a plurality of loop elements projecting therefrom.

3. A sanitary pad supporting device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pad gripping means comprises a first elastic pad strap attached at one end centrally to the rear of said waistband and having a gripper member on its free end and a second elastic pad strap attached at one end to the narrow truncated edge of the pad shield and having a gripper member on its free end.

4. A sanitary pad supporting device comprising a belt of elastic material to encircle the waist of the wearer and having ends adapted to be disposed at the front of the wearers body, a connecting band to releasably interconnect said ends, a moisture-proof pad shield formed in the shape of a truncated triangle, the base end of said pad shield being attached to the rear of said belt, a pair of spaced elastic strap members attached at one end thereof to the narrow truncated edge of said pad shield, connecting means comprising a pair of coupling components of strip material secured to the free end of said strap members and to the front face of the connecting band respectively and adapted to adhere to each other when placed in face-to-face contact, and pad gripping means to releasably hold a sanitary pad on the inner side of said pad shield.

5. A sanitary pad supporting device as set forth in claim 4, wherein one of the coupling components comprises a strip of material having a plurality of hook-like elements extending therefrom and the other of said components comprises a strip of material having a plurality of loop elements projecting therefrom.

6. A sanitary pad supporting device as set forth in claim 5 and further including adjustable buckle means on said belt.

7. A sanitary pad supporting device comprising a waistband adapted to surround the waist of the wearer, a first pad engaging clip, means suspending said first clip from the rear of the waistband, a moisture-proof pad shield, substantially triangular in shape attached at its base end to the rear of the waistband and the outside of said first clip, a second pad engaging clip attached to the free end of said pad shield on the inside thereof, spaced parallel straps extending from the free end of said pad shield, separable fastener means carried by the ends of the said straps and the front of said waistband and adapted to be interengaged to hold a pad against the body of the wearer, said separable fastener means comprising a pair of fastener tapes, one of said tapes being carried by said straps and the other said tapes being fixed to the front of said waistband, one of said tapes having a multitude of matted strand loops distributed over and projecting from its face, the other of said tapes having a plurality of flexible hooks distributed over and projecting from its face and adapted to interlock with said strand loops to hold said tapes in face-to-face relation when said tapes are brought together, said tapes being readily separable from each other by peeling them apart.

8. A sanitary pad supporting device comprising an elastic waistband adapted to surround the waist of the wearer, means on the waistband to adjust the circumference thereof, a pad shield formed in the shape of a truncated triangle and having an inner and an outer lining, at least one of which is a moistureproof lining, the base of said pad shield being centered on and attached to the rear of the waistband, a pair of spaced strap members attached at the narrow truncated edge of said pad shield, connecting means comprising a component of strip material secured to the free ends of said strap members, separable fastener means on said strip component and said waistband adapted to be interengaged whereby the plural layered shield may be loosened to permit changing of the sanitary pad and can then be retightened to firmly hold the pad in place without detaching the waistband.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,429 10/1929 Schultz 128-289 2,657,690 11/1953 Maiden 128289 3,057,354 10/1962 Roberts et a1. 128289 3,227,160 1/1966 Younger 128291 X 3,247,846 4/1966 Fansler 128168 X RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Examiner, 

8. A SANITARY PAD SUPPORTING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND ADAPTED TO SURROUND THE WAIST OF THE WEARER, MEANS ON THE WAISTBAND TO ADJUST THE CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF, A PAD SHIELD FORMED IN THE SHAPED OF A TRUNCATED TRIANGLE AND HAVING AN INNER AND AN OUTER LINING, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS A MOISTUREPROOF LINING, THE BASE OF SAID PAD SHIELD BEING CENTERED ON AND ATTACHED TO THE REAR OF THE WAISTBAND, A PAIR OF SPACED STRAP MEMBERS ATTACHED AT THE NARROW TRUNCATED EDGE OF SAID PAD SHIELD, CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING A COMPONENT OF STRIP MATERIAL SECURED TO THE FREE ENDS OF SAID STRAP MEMBERS, SEPARABLE FASTENER MEANS ON SAID STRIP COMPONENT AND 